HP ProLiant ML310 G3 Data Protection Storage Server administration guide (June 2006)

1 Data Protection Stora ge Server
This chapter describes the features and uses of Data Protection Manager (DPM) and identifies several
Microsoft resources for planning and operating this solution on HP ProLiant Data Protection Storage
Servers.
DPM description
Microsoft
®
System Center Data Protection Manager is a software application designed for storage
servers running the Standard or Enterprise Editions of Windows
®
Storage Server 2003. Disk-based data
protection and recovery are ob tained through replication, synchronization, and shadow co py creation.
Each enabled server can protect up to 6 TB of data from as many as 30 file servers.
Various dat
a sources are collected into protection groups to manag e this data. Replicas, or copies of
protected d
ata on a single volume, are created and efficiently placed i n a storage pool on the Data
Protection Storage Server.
Through the synchronization process, each replica is updated regularly with changes made to the data
sources. Between synchronizations, a file agent on the protected file ser ver records changes in a
synchroni
zation log. At the scheduled or manual synchronization time, changes in the synchronization log
are moved t
o a transfer log on the Data Protection Storage Server, and then applied to the replicas.
Should a replica ever become inconsistent with its data source, a synchronization with consistency check
can be initiated to repair the replica by performing a block-by-block verification.
DPM uses the Volu m e Shadow Copy Service (VSS) of the storage server operating system to create
shadow c opies of the replicas. These point-in-time snapshots are stored on the storage server and can
be accessed by users to recover previous versions of the protected data. DPM can store a maximum of
64 shado
w copies for each volume in a protection group. When storage limits are reached, the oldest
shadow copies are automatically deleted when new shadow copies are created.
Data Protection Storage Server
The Data Protection Storage Server is a NAS appliance that enhances your current backup strategies
by leveragi ng the functionality of Microsoft System Center Data Protection Ma nag er (DPM). The Data
Protection Storage Server sits b etween the fi le servers and the tape library, and ca n store up to 64 file
snapshots. Users ca n then restore these backups without the help of an administrator.
Benefi
ts
A Data Protection Storage Server offers the following benefits:
• Easy implementation—The Data Protection Storage Server arrives at your site preinstalled with
DPM, and preconfigured with optimized storage settings. All you do is plug the ser ver into your
Modular Smart Array (if applicable) and run the D PM mini-setup to answer some environmental
ques
tions.
• Operational simplicity—The Data Protection Storage Server is intuitive and allows users to
restore files without the help of an IT department. To restore a file, right-click the folder from
the Microsoft dialog box or E xplorer, and then use the P roperties window to restore the file
fr om previous version.
• Fast and reliable—Disk-to-disk backup is a fast, secure, and reliable medium. It offers near
co
ntinuousdataprotectioninmuchlesstimethantapebackups.
HP ProLiant ML310 G3 Data Protection Storage Server
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